


Carnation

by SireBunBun



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, But yay flowers, In fact they both don't know what love is, It's all foreign to him, M/M, Saru doesn't know what love is, They're oblivious to the obvious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-18 23:19:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7335088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SireBunBun/pseuds/SireBunBun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fushimi just wants to get done with work, go home, and stay in his bed all day. No interaction, no friends, no socializing. But by taking on a day he was supposed to have off, it causes him to stumble upon a man with the passion to shove a flower up his coworker's rear. It’s like sunshine and the moon. One stays and one goes, it shifts back and forth. But they still share the same sky together, and something blossoms in the end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Carnation

A bell chimed as the door was thrown open, a matted green piece of paper being slammed down onto the counter, causing the employee behind the counter -who was currently bent down- to look up in confusion. As if the loud noise of that wasn’t enough, the disheveled look of the person in front of the counter left him quite startled. Mostly weirded out, because _wow he looks like he just ran a marathon through a tornado._ The guy was panting heavily, and his hair was a mess. It was almost…kind of _cute._ But he chose not to focus too much on that last topic.

“How do you  _passive-aggressively_ tell somebody to fuck off in flower?” The emphasis on those two words didn’t fit very well with his tone; his tongue flicking the words out like venom.

“What.” Is all that left Fushimis’ lips as he squinted at the other incredulously.

“How do you. Tell someone. To fuck off in flower? _Passive-aggressively_ of course.” The eyes that belonged to the speaker narrowed, amber hues setting them ablaze. Fushimi found the look quite enticing, having it briefly distracting him before he snapped back into reality.

“Uh…” Fushimi let his eyes roam around the room for a moment, seemingly suspicious of the customers’ behavior. It was…unusual. “…Why?” he concludes, a hint of curiosity not failing to show through his voice. In return, the man fidgeted and swore a soft _“Premature ejaculation bastard”_ -which Fushimi swore made his heart stop for a second- before tiredly running a hand through his tousled hair.

“There’s a bastard I work with that humiliates me all the time -he always wears a flower in his hair.” He poked his front bangs, “So I want a piece of shit flower to stick up his ass, can you help me?” The man was obviously not the patient type, Fushimi could practically feel the puffs of annoyance from across the counter. The reason was amusing enough actually, so he decided to help. The least he could do is give him one of the ugly flowers, a hand raising up to wave the redhead around the counter as he made his way towards the back. There were tons of aisles full of flowers and bouquets, the man got dizzy just by looking around. And he knows why he never walked into a flower store until now.

Fushimi stopped in front of an assortment of single flowers, all categorized in rows by type and number. He waited until the other caught up to him and stood by his side, before sidestepping away from the stand. He lazily pointed a finger towards the select few flowers off to the left. “There’s Burdocks, Cockscombs, and Orange Lilies. Choose whatever you want.”

“There’s what…?” The man stared at Fushimi crazily, already completely lost.  He had no sort of information on flowers whatsoever, so those names sounded like a foreign language in his ear. It made the employee sigh and click his tongue, pointing to the first spiky one. “Boring,” then the maroon one, “Foolishness,” then the orange one, “Hate.” A foot tapped impatiently against the floor, wondering if that was clear enough for him to understand. “That help?” he voiced out.

The man’s eyes grew in intensity, a grin developing on his face almost instantly. Fushimi was sort of expecting him to set on fire in the next minute, but thankfully it didn’t happen because he wasn’t sure if they owned a fire extinguisher here. “Fuck yeah it did! Gimme them!” the weird man (Yeah let’s just call him that) bolted over to the flowers of his choice, and picked up one of each that was listed. They were each separately wrapped in decorative plastic, but like hell he’s keeping that on when he gives them away. Suffer.

Fushimi cocked his hip to the side and tilted his head up tauntingly, choosing to add onto the fire burning in those eyes near him. “Since you want them up his ass, Burdocks are spiny. I recommend more of those.” His lips curled up into a cat-like grin, matching the one now directed at him. He watched the other pick up two more of the plant and twirl them in his hand, a mischievous glint in his eyes that Fushimi found quite…intriguing.

The man then turned to him, the mischievous look and grin both gone from his face as a bright smile replaced it, making him look almost half his age -it being similar to a grade school kid’s smile. “I’m done now! We can head back to the counter.” It’s almost as if he was never angry in the first place -even if it _was_ because he completed his mission of getting stupid flowers- but Fushimi was still a bit startled by the sudden change of mood. Nevertheless, with the flowers now picked out he gave a brief nod and led his customer back to the front.

“Your total is 17 dollars,” he got 3 dollars out of the register as he placed the larger bill in, holding it out to take, “Here.” The paper was held out for a few passing minutes as he noticed an unsure expression form on the redhead’s face, like he was contemplating something. It had to be at the worst possible time, as he _just_ wants to get this over with, and _just_ go home. Please don’t make him walk to the back again and get _another flower because he really doesn’t feel like moving so just grant him this one wish._

“Can I give you a tip…?” he finally spoke his thoughts.

Fushimi let his hand drop to the counter. “Why…would you want to give me a tip?” You could practically hear the disbelief in his voice. He’s not in the mood to be toyed around with right now.

The man shifted his weight between his feet uncomfortably, letting his hands fidget behind the counter -away from view. “Because you helped me…duh.” He stuck his tongue out.

Fushimi pushed the money across the counter. “Well we can’t accept tips so-”

“Okay then,” he interrupted the employee, obviously aware of what the end of that sentence would be. Said employee slowly raised an eyebrow, now waiting for what he has to say. He merely tilted his chin upwards, pointing a finger behind the man to help guide his eyes to the wanted object. “Get me that flower over there,” he put it simply and calmly.

Fushimi took a second to wonder what the _hell_ he could possibly want now, considering that the only horrible flowers available were the ones he pointed out himself. A couple looks back and forth between his customer and the unique white flower he was gesturing to, showed how deeply confused he was currently. “You know that’s not anything bad, right…?”

“I know. I want it.”

Fushimi sighed, cheek now leaning against the palm of his hand as he pulled the money back. “Guess you’re getting no money back then.” Then, as he still held his gaze forward, he picked up the flower settled in a fairly decorative pot behind him and planted it on the countertop. However, he only got a smile in return as the customer instead picked the -less attractive - flowers up and made a step back to start his leave.

“It doesn’t matter,” he blushed slightly, “That one is for you anyways.” And he bolted over to the front door seconds after he made that statement, pushing on the handle to open it as he took a small glance back at the attractive worker. “I’ll tell you how it goes tomorrow! See ya!” Then he was gone in a flash.

Fushimi could only look at the glass door as it swept across the floor, back and forth, signaling his leave. “Wait…wha…?” he voiced his confusion, slowly shifting his eyes down at the newly bought flower. For him. The weird, strangely cute customer, bought an _Oleander_ for _him._ It meant something, alright. He sure as hell didn’t think it fit him in any way, but it definitely meant something.

It meant _beauty and grace._

He was sure it was a sign of flirting. But he couldn’t bring his mind to think the overwhelmingly “passive-aggressive” thug (Because he was totally not dressed up in alleyway wear, oh _no_ ) could pull off that sort of stunt.

Yet he still stole the plant off the counter and shoved it underneath so no one would think anything, his coworkers were _gossipers._ He was thankful to have them on storage duty for the week.

* * *

 

Another chime sounded at the front door the next day, yet this time it was more forceful, like someone threw the door open with all of their strength. And he knew _exactly_ who it was that stepped in _._ Not that he would ever voice out loud that he remembered the man, but he couldn’t really forget the flowers that he got yesterday. Now sitting beside his bed in a blue vase. He gave into temptation eventually after it stared at him long enough.

“Hey, what up?” _Please get out before I become interested in you._

“Oh…hi,” Fushimi muttered a blank greeting as he continued to sweep the floors. It’s best not to make eye contact, for those amber eyes are _dangerous._ Not to mention, the man looked completely comfortable in letting his arms be a pillow to his head on the counter. That’s not a good sign in Fushimi’s book, so he was pretty ready to just make a beeline straight for the exit right about now.

“Eric hated them, as expected!” Actually he was unimpressed and called him a _Chihuahua,_ but like _hell_ he’s gonna make himself look weak in front of this guy. “I owe you one, man.” He really just feels the need to pay back the guy for finding such stupid flowers. It was a wasted effort, spending 20 bucks on revenge, just to have it backfire on you.

That whole thing caught Fushimi’s attention, making him finally stare at the other in pure awe. Not the good awe, but the awe that basically says ‘How can you seem so enthusiastic after getting owned’. Because yes, he can certainly tell that it didn’t go nearly as well as it was planned. He’s not dumb. ‘ _So why do you still find the need to pay me back, even when I already got a flower from you?’_ He wants to ask that, but at the same time he doesn’t want to engage in further interaction. He merely went with focusing back on sweeping the ~~same spot on the ground for 10 minutes now~~ floor. “Well I only work here so…” he trailed off in his wish that the man would go away.

“Well, what’s your name then?” He did the exact opposite of Fushimi’s wish.

Nonetheless, it made Fushimi look at him from the corner of his eye, letting his brows raise. “Aren’t you supposed to tell me yours first?”

“Oh, right. Sorry, haha…” That nervous chuckle and neck rub didn’t go unnoticed, even as the stranger held out a hand. “I’m Yata.” A playful grin followed.

“Yata...?”

“Eh?” The grin left his face as fast as it came.

“What, is that your full name? Are you an orphan or something?” Fushimi didn’t tolerate the secrecy of hiding ones’ name.

“U-Uh…yeah,” Yata swallowed. “I am…” he looked away nervously and let his hand drop to the side.

Fushimi clicked his tongue and put the broom off to the side, choosing to lean it against the wall as he stepped forward to look directly into Yata’s eyes. “You know, it’s obvious you’re lying by avoiding eye contact. It’s nice to give your full name when introducing yourself.” Somehow his tone wasn’t as dark as he wanted it to be.

Yata shot him a glare, not doing well at threatening him what with the pink spread across his cheeks. Even with that, he still held back out his hand. _Because at least I have manners, dick._ “Misaki, okay? I-It’s Misaki.”

  _‘Huh, girly name.’_ Fushimi couldn’t help a chuckle as he shook Misaki’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Misaki~” He decided to tease the other a little and wink.

“Wha-!?” Misaki jumped a little at the action, feeling his face heat up as he growled. “I didn’t wanna tell you my first name for a reason, you know!”

Fushimi shrugged. “Too bad so sad. I like saying it,” he mused, walking over to the broom and picking it up, only to put it away in the nearby supplies closet. He knew he wasn’t going to get any more work done at this point, and it left him a bit disappointed in himself that _that person_ was the cause of it.

Misaki groaned. “Rrgh…fine, Saru.”

Fushimi glanced in the direction of the voice as he shut the closet door. “Saru…?”

“Yeah, got a problem with that?” Misaki sat atop of the counter and crossed his arms protectively, already prepared for a snarky response.

Fushimi let out a short breath and trotted back behind the counter, flicking the other on the nose. “We are _far_ from being close, Misaki.” After he said that, he paid no attention to the obvious scowl present on his face as he went back to working. He needs to get _some_ work done while he’s dealing with the _fireball of the millennia,_ and wrapping flowers and bouquets up is probably the only one possible right now.

“Yet you say my first name anyways!”

“Meh, I don’t care what you want or don’t want,” Fushimi waved a hand towards him in a shooing gesture. “Get off the counter.”

Yata stuck out his tongue. “I do what I want, dickhole.”

Fushimi clicked his tongue, muttering a small “Fine, get kicked out…” to himself as he continued wrapping the flowers. There may be no one but him visibly working here, but oh trust him, there _was._ His manager may be easygoing -maybe because he’s the “favorite” but honestly who gives a fuck- but if there’s any sign of assault like vaulting over the counter for example-

**_THUD._ **

… _Oh god no. Does he really wanna look back?_

 “Nice wrapping skills.”

Fushimi slowly paused in his wrapping to eye the other now crouching _right next to him._ It seems Misaki apparently jumped over the counter to the other side, something you’re totally not allowed to do, something you may get banned from the shop for, and _why isn’t Munakata-san over here already. Where is he. **Help him**._

“You’re not supposed to be back here without permissio-“

“What type of flower is your favorite?” He suddenly interrupted.

“…What?”

Misaki was gazing off into the bouquets of flowers Fushimi already wrapped, taking in the multiple colors that were put together with plastic and ribbon. He looked content, a warm smile enveloping his who expression, giving him a shining demeanor. It’s like Fushimi was seeing a completely different person beside him. “What’s your favorite flower?” his voice was softer this time.

Fushimi was very well stunned at the moment, not yet used to the fact that someone wanted to start a conversation with _him_ of all people. Though he couldn’t stop himself from replying in a similarly hushed tone, “Aconites…and Hydrangeas…”

“Ah,” Misaki giggled, and the lightness of it comforted Fushimi weirdly. “You like cold and poisoned flowers, don’t ya?” his eyes grew wide for a second, but he closed them and shook his head. “Well actually, you do seem like that type of guy.”

Fushimi twisted the ribbon around the plastic paper, tying the stems of a new bouquet together. He waved it over in the others’ direction. “Do I now?”

Misaki played with the petals on one of the flowers in the bouquet. “Yeah, very cool and se… _verily SMART.”_ His voice heightened at the end of the sentence, and he regretted not thinking that reply through first before saying it.

“Hah?” He wasn’t listening close enough to catch the suspiciousness of that statement, dammit.

“Severely smart ya know?” Misaki let out a breathy laugh, “Like, like _really_ smart ahaha…” _Please kill him now._

Fushimi paused in gathering the next pair of flowers. “Why didn’t you just say ‘really smart’ then?”

“First thing that came to mind…”

Fushimi squinted at him, not exactly trusting that comment. “…Huh.” But he chose to ignore it, picking up the flowers instead, resuming in tying them together as well. “Then what’s yours?” He can’t control his mouth against Misaki. He just can’t.

“Mine?” Misaki looked surprised for an instant before he smiled sheepishly. “I like…Coral Roses and Edelweiss.”

“I see…” Fushimi pondered for a moment, thinking back to day before _. ‘Don’t those mean power and enthusiasm? …Fits.’_ Misaki was a spunky type- well, he was a special kind of spunky. So heck, he wasn’t sure if anything else fit the man _more._ No, wait… maybe one kind of flower _did_ seem like a type he’d favorite. For very specific reasons, but taken the first impression he got of Misaki, and how he is acting to this day, it made sense. At least, in Fushimi’s book it did. But their books might not be so much the same... _Meh, who cares._

“I expected you to like daises.”

Misaki’s expression could only be described as dumbfounded, not showing an ounce of understanding whatsoever as he tilted his head to the side. “Why?”

“You know,” Fushimi didn’t spare him a teasing look, smirking along with it. “You seem like that type.” His eyes gave a knowing look that said _‘You know what I’m talking about’_ but nothing more. He already planned his response ahead of time, you see, knowing exactly how the other was going to react. And so he waited hopefully for his prize.

Misaki tried to comprehend what Fushimi was trying to hint at, but his mind only drew a blank. Why daises? Daises were all about being pure, and gentle, and- … _oh. He’s talking about the virginity part, isn’t he?_ Just the mere thought of that possibility made his face glow red, already coming up with about a hundred different curses to lash out this man with. How would he know that he’s a virgin? Misaki sure as hell doesn’t act that way at all.

… _Does he?_

A rough shake of his head, and hands clenching into fists showed just how pissed he was. “So you’re saying, I look like a _gentle virgin…!?”_ He gritted out those words violently, all sense of sweetness from earlier gone in a flash.

Fushimi avoided his direct glare, gazing up at the ceiling instead as he whistled innocently. It wasn’t an attempt to escape answering the question, but just because he wanted to play around. It’s in his nature of course, and when someone makes contact with him, then oh… they do eventually regret it. Then he gets some final peace and quiet, they’re gone for good, and he can relax all alone once again. Damn, that just got dark. But whatever, he’s not one for beating around the bush anyways, even in his mind.

“Saru…” Misaki wasn’t up for playing games.

A small glance was sent his way, and taken back after a sly smirk and shrug of the shoulders. “…Maybe.”

“Oh, you’re such an ass!”

“At least I have one,” Retort made clear as he laid back to look behind Misaki, obviously checking out the ass of said victim adjacent to him. ‘ _How cute…’_ He wondered what reaction he would get if he was honest about it, but Misaki didn’t leave him much room for that, as he sprung upwards in a blushing mess. Anger flickered through his eyes as they narrowed down at -fairly content- blue ones.

“You know, now I understand why barely anyone comes here!”

“Yet we are still in business, aren’t we?” Fushimi tapped the newly wrapped bouquet against his chin, grinning almost evilly as he knew he was correct. He noticed Misaki flinch in that fact, and did a short ‘Che’ under his breath, a small pout now having formed on his face.

“Whatever. Forget I wanted to talk to you, bastard.” Misaki jumped back over the counter to the front, not even looking back to the other as he aggressively shoved open the door and stormed out of the shop. It startled a person walking by, and Fushimi held back a sigh as they walked away from the unusual scene.

Fushimi wasn’t going to leave it at that though, not when the door closes so _slowly_ and he knows the redhead can still hear. So, looking slightly over the counter he cupped his free hand close to his mouth and sang. “Have a nice day, Misaki~” and it was totally worth it, as his perceptive skills saw Misaki’s shoulders hike up, and the third digit of his right hand stuck itself out in an insult to him.

Now that he could finally get some work done without interruption, he picked up the pile of wrapped bouquets off the ground and placed them on the countertop. He filled up a few small pails of water at the nearby sink, and started placing the sets in them one by one. Fixing up the last bouquet on the shelf, his eye caught a peculiar thing. Compared to the other flowers he decorated in the morning, the last one was…different. Wasn’t the usual groups supposed to be peonies and sunflowers? Yet, the one he tied up while with Misaki was Gloxinias… The meaning of that was strange to him.

“Hmm...”

* * *

 

The next day was made hell, Fushimi was sure of it. He slept late after taking up the opportunity of extra hours, so of course he didn’t wake up well. It also felt like a huge weight was put on his head, and he burnt the toast this morning, so -you guessed it- _he_ _skipped breakfast._ The minute he walked in earlier today, his stomach growled and his boss requested that he have a snack before work starts. He figured it would be fine later on, and he’d just forget about the pain in both his head and stomach, but no. Life hates him.

Another round about the counter was made, as he attempted to sweep the dirt off with their only clean cloth, and he already felt his stomach rumble again. He was tempted to punch it actually, that’s how incredibly exhausted he felt. He just hopes that nobody too annoying comes into the shop today, it’s already hard enough to deal with the constant check-up from his boss ever hour. A click of his tongue was made, as he dragged his feet across the floor over to the sink, washing the dirt off the cloth once more. The door opened with its usual ring again, and he kept himself from groaning as he walked back over to where he always stands, eyes lazily lifting up to be blinded by a shining aura across from him. His eyes widened as he noticed who the person was, and he was weirded out by how not-irked he found himself being.

“So, how you doin’ mate?” Misaki leaned on the counter, two elbows propped up on it as he let his chin relax in the palm of them.

“What are you, Australian?” He couldn’t hold back the tiny hiss in his tone.

“Maybe.”

Fushimi snorted and slapped the wet cloth onto the surface, sort of amused by that reply, and how he seemed completely fine with the harshness. He wanted to question why Misaki was back, considering how everything went down yesterday, but chose not to bring it up. He didn’t know why, but the presence of the other…made him feel lighter in a way. Just the greeting alone somehow worked a weird magic on him, and his headache died down a bit. It’s quite intriguing, seeing as how they’ve only known each other for 3 days, though it already feels like they’ve been friends for a long time. It made his stomach coil, he wasn’t used to this foreign feeling.

Misaki hefted himself up onto the counter and let his feet dangle over the edge, setting his backpack down next to him even as Fushimi was visibly working, cleaning the top of the counter near where he sat. Then Fushimi stopped, looking straight at him as he nudged the bag with the end of his hand. It was a silent warning to “move off” but he refused to heed that warning, and it took a small stare-off to make Fushimi sigh in defeat.

“What do you want, virgin?”

“Wow nice greeting,” He made himself comfortable and sat back on his hands. “I was just about to ask if you wanted to hang out too.”

Fushimi stilled, and in that second the only noise that was in the air was the echo of their synchronized breathing. “…Did he hear that right?” he finally got out.

Misaki let his eyes wander away from Fushimi’s gaze, and his cheeks lit up slightly. “Yeah, I mean- I get off work in the café in about 3 hours. I’m on lunch break right now.”

Fushimi skimmed the other up and down, just now realizing the light flesh-toned apron that was tied around his neck and waist. Not to mention, the small piece of white cloth that was wrapped around his hair, accentuating the redness of it messed up. He never understood the getup of café employees, but taking it all in made him stare longer than he originally planned to. Not that it kept him from being his teasing self. “Ah, so that’s why you’re dressed like a housewife.”

It expectedly made Misaki huff, but his frown wasn’t too big. “Oi, shut up okay!? It’s not like I want to wear this outfit…”

“Mhm, I see.” No he doesn’t.

“You look like a nerdy gardener too, ya know.”

Fushimi settled a hand on his hips. “What told you that? The glasses or the green apron?”

_Don’t let his sarcasm get to you, Yata…_ “Suck a dick, Saru.” That’s right.

“Prefer not, Misak-“ Fushimi was cut off by a low rumble from his stomach, and he remembered exactly why he wasn’t in a good mood earlier. He spotted Misaki looking at him with wide eyes, but curious ones, not the infamous ones. It caused him to escape eye contact, dragging his attention to the now damp cloth making a wet puddle on the cold surface, and maybe his face felt a little hot in that moment.

Suddenly, Misaki chuckled. “You wanna suck on something else?”

His eyes shifted back to the other like lightning, and it was like they were going to pop out of their sockets at any minute. “… _Hah…?”_ What. The. Fuck.

Misaki was simply holding out a banana, and his eyes told Fushimi he certainly knew what he meant with that statement. “Here. Take it.”

It was time for revenge. “Oh Misaki, I didn’t know you were so lewd.” He held a hand to his chest dramatically.

Cue rolling eyes. “Oh my god, just take it! I know you’re hungry!” He waved the banana in front of the other even more.

“No. you eat it.”

“I already ate some pretzels, it’s fine.” Misaki furiously wagged the banana in front of him, and he watched as Fushimi cringed in disgust as the tip of the banana broke off, and it peeled a little on the side. It was pushed away with the tip of a finger by him, face showing only revulsion as he took a step back.

“Ew.”

Misaki set the fruit down on the counter and held himself back from sighing, finding the way Fushimi was acting as very over-exaggerated. “Do you not like bananas?”

“Or vegetables. So don’t try to force fucking _plant stalks_ on me either.” Fushimi’s eyes were a mix of horror and malicious intent.

Misaki froze. Then blinked. Twice. “Are you…talking about asparagus?” This is unbelievable. The one thing that a super intelligent nerd wouldn’t know, is _vegetables._

“Tch…” He obviously didn’t care much about the name.

“Dude, you _have_ to eat vegetables! No wonder you’re a skeleton with skin!”

Fushimi could only stare in disbelief. ‘ _Wow don’t you come up with the weirdest summaries_.’ He let that thought pass in his mind, as he tossed the cloth into a bucket and attempted to go back to work, choosing to ignore any sort of protest on his eating habits whatsoever. He didn’t have any more cleaning or organizing to do, so maybe he should head to the back of the shop in storage-

_NOPE._

A hand grabbed Fushimi’s arm before he could turn away and leave, and Misaki’s amber eyes narrowed into slits as the other tried to pull away. Well known fact, he’s actually pretty strong. So anyone could guess how well that went. “You’ve gotta eat, Saru. You want my candy bar?” Would _that_ make him happy?

It did actually work, as Fushimi’s eyes seemed to light up when he said that. He never gets offered candy by any person, and like hell he would want to be viewed as a kid if he went to a convenience store. So maybe he stares at the candy in the display cases for too long, but chocolate is like heaven, and it understands him. So when given the chance to have some, then he takes it almost instantly.

And…he just had an entire monologue on candy, didn’t he? Whoops.

Misaki apparently noticed too, as he was making the face of a total winner, currently curled up on the newly cleaned counter (He’s going to have to clean that again later, thanks) and holding a small chocolate bar in his hands. It’s like he’s telepathically saying: _Oh yeah, total win._ But soon enough, after Fushimi snapped out of his trance, the candy bar was held out to him happily. He took that stick of heaven in flash.

“Don’t eat it too fast, I don’t want you choking, ‘kay?” but all that Misaki got in response was a half-eaten piece of chocolate sticking out of Fushimi’s mouth, a pair of eyes accusingly looking at him in a sign to keep this a secret. He giggled at the sight till a ring resounded from his phone, letting him know he got a message and he quickly dug it out from a pocket in his apron. It only took him a minute to read the message through, but that was enough time to lessen the mood. “Shit… I gotta get back to work. I guess my damn phone’s alarm didn’t go off, it’s probably busted.” And with that, he stuffed it back into its habitat and hopped off the countertop. He thought he caught Fushimi looking at his phone as he put it away, but when he looked back the other was already cleaning up the spot where his shoes made a mark. He held his gaze towards Fushimi in hope of a sullen goodbye, but when they finally locked eyes, he didn’t get the expected answer.

“Better go then. _Bye._ ”

Now he was the one not in a good mood, he knew how Fushimi acts, but that was just rude. “Hey…” the disappointment in his voice made Fushimi raise an eyebrow. So he continued, “I never see you hang out with anybody. So I’m gonna come in here after work, okay? I don’t care if you’re all gloomy about it, you’ll get wrinkles if that frown stays on too long.” He doesn’t want to admit it but…he does actually _like_ hanging around Fushimi. He kind of feels like he’s one of the only ones who can tolerate the snarky attitude he puts off.

Fushimi had to use all of his energy to keep himself from twitching up a smile, but he felt as though Misaki knew that thought reached him, and maybe one day he hopes he wouldn’t have to hold up a wall in front of the other. He chose to wave him off, not wanting him to be late for his job. Especially since he knew he had it easy in his own, so he could barely understand what any other kind of boss would be like if he’s late. “Fine, shoo shoo. I’ll see you after.”

Misaki grinned brightly, all sense of negativity now washed away. He took off like a bullet, making the bell that was hanging above the doorway fly up and smack the rim of it. It was astounding how much energy and power he looked to have during work. But the crazy thing to find out, was that Misaki didn’t run out and turn left or right like normal, but he merely went across the street.

And it was in that moment that Fushimi knew…the coffee shop was across from his job the whole time. He just never paid much attention. That gives him the opportunity to see Misaki work. And talk. And move around like the fireball he is. And even though he’s not in the same room as Fushimi, it still felt as though his aura left a light atmosphere in there. And that encouraged him to think that now every day of work or life, can be all that bad.

* * *

 

It’s been 4 days since him and Misaki started hanging out after work, and it felt pretty nice. The man knew how to start a conversation with the weirdest things, and it always ended with him somehow needing to correct his companion in the subject. It seemed Misaki was pretty athletic too, as the minute he gets out of work and heads over, his skateboard is with him. Not to forget about the many times he -obviously- tried to impress Fushimi by doing flips around the park and walking on thing railings. He seemed to hold a lot of confidence in a small body, but he has a special trait that Fushimi likes to call, “The Misaki Trait”. Every time there’s silence hanging in the air, or any form of negativity bounces off of himself, Misaki replaces the dull setting with an enormous smile. He describes it like a ball of sunshine, lighting up the whole surrounding area around them, and in every single case it’s happened so far, he’s always said one thing.

_“It’s okay Saru, I won’t let the darkness capture you.”_

Whether he says it gently or flamboyantly, it has the same effect on him no matter what. It stops the creepy voices he hears in the back of his mind, it holds back the will to keep a scowl on his face, it does _everything._

“Fushimi-san!”

…But the one thing that doesn’t keep the headaches away are his coworkers. They got back from storage duty early, so he was forced to turn around to face the now panicked Andy. His hair was frazzled, sticking out in every way imaginable and he wondered if there was some sort of chemical reaction in the back of the shop, because he’s _pretty_ sure flowers don’t do that _._ The hands behind his back were very suspicious, so Fushimi crossed his arms and looked the other up and down for any harmful miscellaneous material sticking to him, but found none. “What do you want, Andy?”

Andy pulled something out from behind him, and practically jumped back as the object snapped at him. “When did we get a Venus Flytrap in the shop!? I don’t like this idea!” It growled, and Andy glared at it a little, because from the very clear marks on his face they definitely had a battle of some sorts.

He wasn’t sure whether to throw it out without telling his boss, or keep it _because_ the boss ordered it in. He always had some sneaking suspicion that Munakata wanted to kill them all, it hasn’t been the first time he brought in a harmful product. He was absolutely sure that Andy would get into another fight with it though, so he held his hand out reluctantly. “Give me the plant, and go tell _him_ that we have it.”

It was placed into his hands immediately, and Andy bowed in gratitude before zooming off in the other direction. He stared at the new item and noticed it’s dormant state, a little confused that it suddenly went docile. Like hell he was going to bother it, nobody wants to get hurt by those things. He simply set it down on the counter and sighed, noting from the corner of his eye the few coworkers that just walked in. They obviously came back from lunch break, still wiping the crumbs off of their faces as they laughed.

“Oh yeah, that café sells _godly coffee._ The guy at the coffee maker really knows how to work that thing!” Hidaka pointed out, walking beside Akiyama as they started picking up potted plants off the shelves.  Fushimi’s great hearing perception was useful in this case, and he perhaps inched over a bit to hear better.

“Yeah, right? I hear he also works the baking part of it too, and the pastries are delicious!” Akiyama added as they carried the potted plants over to the back room.

Fushimi stopped following to listen in on them after they left the front part of the shop. One person has to be present there and there’s something he wants to see. That said, he hung out by the front counter again and leaned on it, arms crisscrossed in front to support him. Squinting a bit to see easier, he looked out the glass window and into the windows beyond the street, belonging to the café. It gave him the view of Misaki pressing buttons on the machine behind the counter, whizzing around several people moving around to give ones sitting at tables, their food. Misaki did mention at one point that their café was a special kind, one to let people sit down and relax as their food was served, instead of bought right away.

He caught the smile that made its way onto his face, as the person probably enjoyed the food very much. Misaki picked up the dishes and spoke something, most likely a ‘thank you’ before he looked up outside, catching Fushimi’s eye in slight surprise. However, that was gone instantly as he used his hand that wasn’t holding dishes, to wave over at Fushimi happily. Of course he waved back, maybe less enthusiastically, but he did.

He understood now why people enjoyed coming to that café so much. Just from here, he could feel the warm glow and atmosphere resonating in the place. Even though Misaki wasn’t the manager of the shop, he knew that he was a big part of the place’s aesthetic. Just like how the man was gradually becoming a big part of his life…and he found himself not minding it all that much. It comforted him somehow, seeing the smile from all the way over here. Ah, how stupid…

He felt his surroundings light up yet again. And it pleased him just as much as he hated it in the beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> And they lived happily ever after. :)  
> Jk there’s more to be written…eventually. I think. Idk yet, I sort of feel like this is a good place to keep it... ;^^  
> Also, Gloxinia means “True Love at first sight” so yeah ( *• ̀ω•́ )b hope you enjoyed!


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